Moloney thought she had a deal with the city, until...

LOWELL -- UMass Lowell Chancellor Jacquie Moloney thought the university and the city were indeed making progress toward a partnership agreement -- until she saw City Manager Kevin Murphy's draft of an accord he shared with city councilors late last month.

Moloney said in an interview with The Sun earlier this week that Murphy's draft of the so-called Strategic Partnership Master Agreement was starkly different from the previously discussed blueprint.

The deteriorating city/university relationship has already resulted in a casualty: university officials have decided against contributing -- at least for now -- to the second year of a marketing campaign launched in partnership with the city and The Lowell Plan.

The war of words will likely continue during next Tuesday's City Council meeting, as two councilors have a filed a related motion directing Murphy to "reaffirm" city-university relations.

Murphy's draft called for: a revenue protection plan, under which if UML acquires tax-generating property, it would be required to make three annual donations to the city: 100 percent of the property's taxes in year one; 66.7 percent in year two; and 33.3 percent the third year; the university make an annual cash payment of $20,000 relating to 50 Warren Street, the restaurant located within the UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center; the university will pay $80,000 toward the debt service on the Lower Locks Garage, the public garage next to the ICC; the university make an annual $25,000 payment to the LeLacheur Ballpark Improvement Capital Fund.

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According to Moloney, none of those items were on the table before she went on vacation in late July.

"Both myself and members of my team were surprised," Moloney said. "We were working on a complete agreement. I'm hoping we can still resolve this, but I am not so sure."

The only monetary item the university is agreeing to is paying $80,000 toward a new field at LeLacheur Park, where its Division 1 baseball team plays.

Moloney declined to elaborate precisely what the initial draft contained. But she added its senseless for the city to suggest items it knows the university is by law precluded from agreeing to, such as making payments in lieu of taxes.

As a state entity, the university is not required to pay property taxes on buildings it owns. Plus, she said, the university's Board of Trustees doesn't allow it.

"Is the manager trying to tax the courthouse," Moloney asked.

UMass President Marty Meehan blasted the city and the draft once it become public, saying it was "dead on arrival" and that among city officials there is a "stunning lack of appreciation" for the university and its economic impact.

Meehan added Moloney feels "legitimately hurt about the way it all went down.

"I think tactically it was a mistake to send the draft around knowing full-well the university couldn't agree to it," Meehan said.

Murphy declined to comment, saying "I will not negotiate this agreement in the press."

Meanwhile, the $250,000 marketing campaign launched a year ago this month is on hold. Facing a what could be a $3 million budget deficit, Moloney said all discretionary spending, such as advertising, is on hold.

Meehan said all UMass campuses will face deficits, primarily due to the state's decision against funding collective bargaining agreements with university unions.

"We're going to have to make some serious cuts later this year and all discretionary spending such as advertising is on hold," said Moloney.

Moloney declined to comment on speculation that UML's decision to pull back on the marketing campaign was in response to what it sees as unfair treatment by the city.

Meehan, however, said it "absolutely was."

"Hey, a cooperative relationship is a two-way street," Meehan said. "As I said earlier the dialogue between the city and the university has been nasty and the city has given the university many reasons not to participate in joint marketing. The city cannot be constantly beating up on the university."

Murphy, however, said Moloney told him about the university's decision two weeks ago and that it was due to budget constraints, nothing more.

Councilors William Samaras, chairman of the council's economic development subcommittee, and James Milinazzo filed the related motion.

The motion calls for Murphy to "reaffirm" the city's relationship/partnership" with the university and "to do what is necessary to preserve and strengthen this relationship/partnership."

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